Question
Background Essay
What Made Gandhi’s Nonviolence Work?
The history of war and violence in our world is well documented. Humankind has often settled its conflicts at the point of a spear or barrel of a gun. However, there is another way. Mohandas Gandhi was born in 1869 in the Indian coastal city of Porbandar. His father was a prominent Hindu who taught his son to respect all religions. Gandhi’s mother was a Jainist who taught Mohandas that all people, in fact all living things, are holy. At age 19, he sailed for London to study law. At this time, colonial India was the crown jewel of the powerful British Empire. Gandhi knew that he was looked down upon by many of the English, but he was impressed that English followed the law. After getting his degree, he returned to India to establish a law practice.
Things did not work out well. During his first trial in India, Gandhi was so overcome by shyness he couldn’t speak. So when a businessman living in South Africa invited him to try his luck there, Gandhi jumped at the offer. Life in South Africa also started badly. Three weeks after he arrived, the full force of European racism came crashing down on him when he was thrown off a train; he was a “colored” man daring to hold a first-class ticket. Despite his shyness, Gandhi found the insult too much to bear and, in the process of fighting back, was arrested and sent to jail. From this experience, he became known as a leader.
When Gandhi returned to India in 1896, the
wretched poverty he saw everywhere sickened him. Rickety tin and cardboard shanties clung to the outer walls of wealthy homes. Rickshaw drivers, clothes tattered and feet bare, carried white colonials to their places of business. Everywhere “European Only” signs enforced privilege. In fact, to be successful in this world the English had built, Indians were expected to imitate their rulers – wear their clothes, copy their manners, accept their standards of beauty. Gandhi refused.
Gandhi wanted people to live free of all class, wealth, and educational distinctions, even those imposed by India’s ancient caste system. But first he had to build a community that modeled this classless society. Gandhi established an ashram (a special place for a religious community) and invited followers to join him. He shed the clothes that made him look like a British lawyer and dressed in a poor man’s traditional loincloth. He spent time each day at a spinning wheel making homespun cloth. And he did the undignified chores of the untouchables, people so low they are considered below caste. At first these practices seemed absurd. Then little by little, because of the purity of his life, Gandhi came to be known as “Mahatma” or “Great Soul.”
A map represents the pre-independence India, 1947. Pre-independence India, 1947: India and Pakistan along with East Bengal, West Bengal, and Kashmir. Indus River and Ganges River are included in this region. The capital, Delhi is marked. The neighboring countries are Burma, Bhutan, China, Nepal, Afghanistan, and the Soviet Union.
Gandhi felt that India’s self-respect was tied to independence. But England was a giant whose might was feared around the globe. India had grappled unsuccessfully with English power for 200 years. How much more difficult would it be for the gentle, but determined, Gandhi to bring about change, let alone independence? Over time, Gandhi succeeded where others had failed. His acts of nonviolent protest became a movement that would eventually spread across the globe.
India won its independence in 1947 and Gandhi has been given most of the credit for this achievement. Examine the documents that follow and then answer the question before us: What made Gandhi’s nonviolence work? Background Essay Questions
Questions
In what year was Mohandas Gandhi born? How many years after the end of the American Civil War was this?
Enter your response here
What was Gandhi’s field of study when he went to London?
Enter your response here
What did Gandhi like about the English?
Enter your response here
What did Gandhi refuse to accept about the English in India?
Enter your response here
What were Gandhi’s feelings about India’s caste system, a system that divided people into higher and lower social groups?
Enter your response here
The last paragraph of the Background Essay says that Gandhi felt that for Indians to have self- respect, they would have to become independent from England. Do you agree that self-respect requires independence?
Enter your response here
Define these terms:
Hindu
Enter your response here
Jainist
Enter your response here
caste system
Enter your response here
untouchables
Enter your response here
Mahatma
Enter your response here
Summary
✔ Write a two- to three-sentence summary of the Background Essay, describing time, place, and story.
What Made Gandhi’s Nonviolence Work?
The history of war and violence in our world is well documented. Humankind has often settled its conflicts at the point of a spear or barrel of a gun. However, there is another way. Mohandas Gandhi was born in 1869 in the Indian coastal city of Porbandar. His father was a prominent Hindu who taught his son to respect all religions. Gandhi’s mother was a Jainist who taught Mohandas that all people, in fact all living things, are holy. At age 19, he sailed for London to study law. At this time, colonial India was the crown jewel of the powerful British Empire. Gandhi knew that he was looked down upon by many of the English, but he was impressed that English followed the law. After getting his degree, he returned to India to establish a law practice.
Things did not work out well. During his first trial in India, Gandhi was so overcome by shyness he couldn’t speak. So when a businessman living in South Africa invited him to try his luck there, Gandhi jumped at the offer. Life in South Africa also started badly. Three weeks after he arrived, the full force of European racism came crashing down on him when he was thrown off a train; he was a “colored” man daring to hold a first-class ticket. Despite his shyness, Gandhi found the insult too much to bear and, in the process of fighting back, was arrested and sent to jail. From this experience, he became known as a leader.
When Gandhi returned to India in 1896, the
wretched poverty he saw everywhere sickened him. Rickety tin and cardboard shanties clung to the outer walls of wealthy homes. Rickshaw drivers, clothes tattered and feet bare, carried white colonials to their places of business. Everywhere “European Only” signs enforced privilege. In fact, to be successful in this world the English had built, Indians were expected to imitate their rulers – wear their clothes, copy their manners, accept their standards of beauty. Gandhi refused.
Gandhi wanted people to live free of all class, wealth, and educational distinctions, even those imposed by India’s ancient caste system. But first he had to build a community that modeled this classless society. Gandhi established an ashram (a special place for a religious community) and invited followers to join him. He shed the clothes that made him look like a British lawyer and dressed in a poor man’s traditional loincloth. He spent time each day at a spinning wheel making homespun cloth. And he did the undignified chores of the untouchables, people so low they are considered below caste. At first these practices seemed absurd. Then little by little, because of the purity of his life, Gandhi came to be known as “Mahatma” or “Great Soul.”
A map represents the pre-independence India, 1947. Pre-independence India, 1947: India and Pakistan along with East Bengal, West Bengal, and Kashmir. Indus River and Ganges River are included in this region. The capital, Delhi is marked. The neighboring countries are Burma, Bhutan, China, Nepal, Afghanistan, and the Soviet Union.
Gandhi felt that India’s self-respect was tied to independence. But England was a giant whose might was feared around the globe. India had grappled unsuccessfully with English power for 200 years. How much more difficult would it be for the gentle, but determined, Gandhi to bring about change, let alone independence? Over time, Gandhi succeeded where others had failed. His acts of nonviolent protest became a movement that would eventually spread across the globe.
India won its independence in 1947 and Gandhi has been given most of the credit for this achievement. Examine the documents that follow and then answer the question before us: What made Gandhi’s nonviolence work? Background Essay Questions
Questions
In what year was Mohandas Gandhi born? How many years after the end of the American Civil War was this?
Enter your response here
What was Gandhi’s field of study when he went to London?
Enter your response here
What did Gandhi like about the English?
Enter your response here
What did Gandhi refuse to accept about the English in India?
Enter your response here
What were Gandhi’s feelings about India’s caste system, a system that divided people into higher and lower social groups?
Enter your response here
The last paragraph of the Background Essay says that Gandhi felt that for Indians to have self- respect, they would have to become independent from England. Do you agree that self-respect requires independence?
Enter your response here
Define these terms:
Hindu
Enter your response here
Jainist
Enter your response here
caste system
Enter your response here
untouchables
Enter your response here
Mahatma
Enter your response here
Summary
✔ Write a two- to three-sentence summary of the Background Essay, describing time, place, and story.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
**Background Essay Questions**
1. In what year was Mohandas Gandhi born? How many years after the end of the American Civil War was this?
**Response:** Mohandas Gandhi was born in 1869. The American Civil War ended in 1865, so this was 4 years after the end of the war.
2. What was Gandhi’s field of study when he went to London?
**Response:** Gandhi studied law when he went to London.
3. What did Gandhi like about the English?
**Response:** Gandhi appreciated that the English followed the law.
4. What did Gandhi refuse to accept about the English in India?
**Response:** Gandhi refused to accept the social hierarchies and privileges enforced by the English, such as the “European Only” signs that enforced discrimination and class distinctions.
5. What were Gandhi’s feelings about India’s caste system, a system that divided people into higher and lower social groups?
**Response:** Gandhi wanted people to live free of all class, wealth, and educational distinctions, including those imposed by India's caste system.
6. The last paragraph of the Background Essay says that Gandhi felt that for Indians to have self-respect, they would have to become independent from England. Do you agree that self-respect requires independence?
**Response:** (Your opinion) I agree that self-respect often requires independence, as it allows individuals and communities to define their own identity, make their own choices, and attain dignity without external domination.
7. Define these terms:
- **Hindu**: A follower of Hinduism, one of the oldest religions in the world, characterized by a belief in a variety of deities and the concept of dharma (duty/righteousness).
- **Jainist**: A follower of Jainism, an ancient Indian religion that emphasizes nonviolence, asceticism, and the belief that all living things are sacred.
- **caste system**: A social hierarchy in India that divides people into different groups based on their occupation and social status, often leading to discrimination.
- **untouchables**: A social group in India historically regarded as outside the caste system, facing severe discrimination and considered impure or unclean.
- **Mahatma**: A title meaning "Great Soul," given to Mohandas Gandhi in recognition of his leadership, moral authority, and commitment to nonviolence.
**Summary:**
The Background Essay discusses Mohandas Gandhi's life and contributions to India's independence from British rule. Born in 1869 in Porbandar, Gandhi was influenced by his parents’ teachings on respect and nonviolence. He dedicated his life to opposing colonial oppression and advocating for social equality, ultimately leading to India's independence in 1947.
1. In what year was Mohandas Gandhi born? How many years after the end of the American Civil War was this?
**Response:** Mohandas Gandhi was born in 1869. The American Civil War ended in 1865, so this was 4 years after the end of the war.
2. What was Gandhi’s field of study when he went to London?
**Response:** Gandhi studied law when he went to London.
3. What did Gandhi like about the English?
**Response:** Gandhi appreciated that the English followed the law.
4. What did Gandhi refuse to accept about the English in India?
**Response:** Gandhi refused to accept the social hierarchies and privileges enforced by the English, such as the “European Only” signs that enforced discrimination and class distinctions.
5. What were Gandhi’s feelings about India’s caste system, a system that divided people into higher and lower social groups?
**Response:** Gandhi wanted people to live free of all class, wealth, and educational distinctions, including those imposed by India's caste system.
6. The last paragraph of the Background Essay says that Gandhi felt that for Indians to have self-respect, they would have to become independent from England. Do you agree that self-respect requires independence?
**Response:** (Your opinion) I agree that self-respect often requires independence, as it allows individuals and communities to define their own identity, make their own choices, and attain dignity without external domination.
7. Define these terms:
- **Hindu**: A follower of Hinduism, one of the oldest religions in the world, characterized by a belief in a variety of deities and the concept of dharma (duty/righteousness).
- **Jainist**: A follower of Jainism, an ancient Indian religion that emphasizes nonviolence, asceticism, and the belief that all living things are sacred.
- **caste system**: A social hierarchy in India that divides people into different groups based on their occupation and social status, often leading to discrimination.
- **untouchables**: A social group in India historically regarded as outside the caste system, facing severe discrimination and considered impure or unclean.
- **Mahatma**: A title meaning "Great Soul," given to Mohandas Gandhi in recognition of his leadership, moral authority, and commitment to nonviolence.
**Summary:**
The Background Essay discusses Mohandas Gandhi's life and contributions to India's independence from British rule. Born in 1869 in Porbandar, Gandhi was influenced by his parents’ teachings on respect and nonviolence. He dedicated his life to opposing colonial oppression and advocating for social equality, ultimately leading to India's independence in 1947.